Black Lives Matter

Dear REF Community,
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Black lives matter.

With our hearts burning, the Ravenswood Education Foundation stands firmly with our community to condemn police brutality, institutionalized racism, and all forms of oppression. 

The recent tragic killings of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many other black people preceding them remind us that the work is far from over.

Our kids in Ravenswood, just like our kids across the country, deserve to live in a society that sees them, hears them, respects them, values them and affirms their right to life, liberty and justice. To achieve Dr. King’s “beloved community,” we at REF recommit to listening and directing our time, our energy, our bodies, and our wallets where our values are.

Yesterday, organized by an M-A sophomore (and former Costaño School student), over a thousand in the Ravenswood community came together to peacefully march in support of Black Lives Matter. In a time of deep despair, the actions of this next generation give us hope that things can and will change.

In the words of Gina Sudaria, Ravenswood Superintendent, “Let’s take action to disrupt the status quo, disrupt the inequities and address them, and ensure that social justice prevails in Ravenswood City School District… It’s our everyday actions that will count.”

From all of us at REF and in solidarity,
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Jenna Wachtel Pronovost
Executive Director